Fur-trimiv



(NoMoaeL) zsheets-snen 1.

` H. &.A. GHAPAL. Y

FUR TRIMMING MACHINE. No. 562,375. Patented June 23,"l896 (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

H. 8u A. C'HAPAL. PUR TRIMMING MACHINE.

No. 562,375. Y VPan-.amdJune 23, 1896.'

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRI Ol-IAPAL` AND ANTONIN CHAPAL, OF BROOKLYN, `NEV` YORK.

Fu R-TRIMMING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of 1 Letters Patent No. 562,37 5, dated J' une 23, 1896i.

i Application led May 13, 1895. Serial No. 549,082. (Nomodel.)

r T @ZZ whom. t ntcty concern:

"ANTONIN GHAPAL, citizens ofthe Republic of France, and residents of the city of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings andStat-e of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fur-Trimming hlachines;`

and we do herebydeclare that thelfollowing is a full and exact description thereof, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, making a part of this specification.`

Our invention relates to the trimming of fur-skins; and the object of our invention is the production of a machine which shall trim or cutoff the ends of such fur so as to disclose the under portion. y

The ends of the fur of hare-skins or of skins of a similar character are generally of a different quality than the under portion, Vand also of a different color. For the` purpose of rendering such skins of value, it is necessary to trim off the ends, and heretofore the manner in which this has been accomplished is by hand and the 'use of shears, an operation i which is not only very lengthy but Whichnecessitatesskill of a high grade. In fact, the delicacy of touch which is required so as to produce a perfectly even surface of trimmed fur is so difficult to acquire that operators in this art are not readily found, and therefore the wages which they demand are often very high. The many years of practice and iniinite labor necessary to give this delicate touch may be done away with by the use of a machine which shall lend itself to the necessities of the work. Such a machine must be not only quick but gentle in its action and the operator who runs it must be able to have it completely under his control, so that individual portions of the fur may be trimmed in accordance with their individual requirements. In some cases the portions having long fur are close to the portions of the skin having the shorter fur, and, as the fur should not be trimmed any closer than is absolutely necessary, it will be evident that a rapid treatment of the fur must necessitate a mechanism which shall respond quickly `to the wishes of the operator `who guides it.

With these ends in view our invention comprises a cutting mechanism and a device for i v y presenting the fur to the cutting mechanism. Be 1t known that We, HENRI CHAPAL and` The former comprises a rotary cutter provided i with knife-blades, located in a hood which is connected with an exhaust-fan, each blade of the cutter being inclined and placed in such a manner as to allow the draftof air to draw the fur into its path, and a stationary knife which the rotary cutter will engage. The device for presenting the fur on the skin to the action of the cutter comprises an adjustable skin-holder carried by a frame pivoted at its lower end and provided with a pressure-bar against which the operator may press, so as to hold the fur against the cutter, the pressurebar being so arranged that persons of different height may conveniently use the machine also means for controlling the length of the fur cut off, so that the machine may be adjusted to cut off the length desired and no more. These means comprise stop-collars, which may be adjusted on certain guides, and swinging gage-plates, which may be instantaneously thrown into position, or threaded gage-thimbles taking the place of the gageplates.`

' In `the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a plan view of the machine. Fig. 2 is a central vertical section thereof. Fig. 3 is a detail view of the rotary cutter and knife.4 Fig. 4 is a detail view of gage-plate. Fig.. 5 is a detail view of the threaded gage-thimble.

The machine may be conveniently placed on a stand A, having cross-pieces a, in which are set the bearings of a driving-shaft, and

a fiat surface ct', serving as a bed-plate for the l mechanism carrying the cutter. On the bedplate is a lug ai, having a threaded aperture, and a second lug or boss a3 underneath, also having a threaded aperture for the purpose away from the operator a second screw-bolt b2, also provided with a square head, is passed through the screw-threaded aperture in the lug a2 and tends to keep the frame from a back- The adjustable slidward movement. To securely hold the frame down onto the bed-plate, there is provided a screw b3, which passes through the slot b4 and enters a threaded aperture in the said bed plate. The sliding frame B is also formed with an upwardly-projecting front b5, which adjustably carries the stationary knife h6 by means of bolts or in any other convenient manner. Bolted to the bed-plate a are two standards C, between which the frame B may slide when being adjusted and in which is journaled the shaft D, carrying the fly-wheel (l, and the rotary cutter, comprising a carrier E, attached to the shaft by means of the setscrew e, and to whose faces are attached the cutting-blades c'. This carrier is shaped obliquely, so that the cutting edge of each blade shall travel from one end to the other of the edge of the stationary knife h6 as the cutter rotates. This is attained by the set of the blades on the cutter being slanting or spiral, and the movement of their meeting the stationary knife being a continuous one and the action a true cutting or shearing and not a tearing one, which might be the case if the whole length of the two cutting edges met at the same instant. On the same shaft D, and for the purpose of actuating the same, as hereinafter described, is the pulley P. Extending up from the bed-plate a', to which it is rigidly secured by bolts or otherwise, and curving forward, is the hood F, ending in a downwardly-projecting lip f, which carries the slide f', attached thereto by set-screwsf2, the said slide having slots for vertical adjustment. At the back of the hood is an airoutlet aperture f3, and surrounding said aperture and attached to the hood, as at f4, by means of bolts, is a tube or pipe f5, which leads to an exhaust-fan. (Not shown.) Carried by the frame B and substantially at the same level as the knife b is a guard G, which extends for a similar distance as the said knife. This guard is cylindrical in form and is rigidly carried by t-he lugs g on'the supporting-frame B.

Extending across and in line with the front and near the opening between the slide f and the lip b5 is the skin-holder H, formed of a rod of small diameter, bent back as shown in both Figs. l and 2, substantially in the form of a triangle with a blunt apex, and again bentvdownward, as at h. The ends of this rod enter and extend through the eyes 7L in the collars 7b2, which are carried by the guides I on the swinging frame K. Set-screws h3 are provided to allow the rod to be adjusted vertically and set rigidly in position.

The guides I are adj ustably attached to the swinging frame K by means of nuts on their threaded ends i. The other ends i2 of the guides pass freely through apertures in the stand Aand are prevented from leaving them by the collars 3, provided with set-screws. For the purpose of adjustment and to restrict the forward motion of the guides, and therefore that of the skin-holder II, we have provided the stop-collars i4 and setscrews, and so that there may be a soft and somewhat yielding abutment of these collars against the stand A we add the washers i5, which are constructed of rubber or other soft material. It will be evident that by loosening up the set-screws of the collars t3 or t4 the adjustment of the throw of the guides I may be accomplished. XVhen this adjustment has been made for a certain portion of the fur and it is desired to cut a shorter length of fur, the swinging gage-plates i, which are pivoted at @"7 to the stand, may be rapidly thrown in the path of the stop-collars by a simple movement of the right and left hands of the operator. A modified form of the means for adjustment is shown in Fig. 5 and consists of a thimble having a milled head t8 and a threaded part 9, adapted to be screwed into the frame A in the path of the guides I, the latter passing through the thimble. Although not as rapid as the swinging plate, this form of adjustment will be found very desirable when an accurate cut is necessary. The swinging frame K is pivoted at or near the bottom of the stand A, as shown at 7c in Fig. 2, and has adjustably bolted to its upper part the pressure-bar L, against which the operator presses with his body to carry the skin holder I-I toward the knife. By means of the nuts t' on the threaded ends z" of guides I, engaging the slots in the downwardly-bent ends l of the pressure-bar L, said bar may be adjusted at a greater or less distance from the ground.

To normally keep the swinging frame in an outward position, a curved spring M is provided and is attached to the stand A by means of screws m, passing through one end, the other end being left free and impinging on the swinging frame.

The driving-shaft N is journaled, as has been already said, in the cross-pieces a of the stand A. It carries at one end the pulley O, which is connected by the belt o to the pulley P on the shaft of the rotary cutter and is actuated through means of the pulley R and a belt r from the source of power, which may be a steam-engine or other motor.

The operation of the machine is as follows: The adjustable sliding frame B having been moved so that the distance between the cutter-blades e and the stationary knife h6 is correct, the skin is placed on the skin-holder II with the fur or hair facing the cutter. A r0- tary motion having been given to the cutter by its shaft D through the pulley P O R and the belts 0 and r, the exhaust mechanism also being in operation and causing a current of air to enter the air-inlet opening between the upwardly-projecting lip of the sliding frame B and the adjustable slide f the operator leans against the presser-bar L, which is carried by the swinging frame K, and by that means brings the skin in contact with the cylindrical guard G, whereupon the fur or hair is caused to assume a vertical position and is drawn by IOO IIO

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the current of air between the cutter-blades and the stationary knife and cut off at any desired length, the length of said fur being determined by the position of the set-collars 014 on the guides I, by the vertical adjustment of the skin-holder H, by the amount of pressure exerted on the pressure-bar L, and also by throwing into the path of the stop-collars the swinging gage-plates i5. It will be evident that the thickness of these plates must control the forward movement of the skinholder, and for different kinds of skins there will be plates of different thickness; but, as in practice a large number of skins of the same character will be treated consecutively, the change from one pair of gage-plates to another of greater or less thickness will not be necessary until a second batch of skins has to be treated, when not only the gageplates but also the position of the stop-collars will have to be changed.

Our improved construction therefore permits of a rapid adjustment of the distance between the cutter-blades and the stationary knife by the fact that the said knife is carried by an adjustable sliding frame which is easily and rapidly operated without interfering with any of the other parts of the machine while in motion. It also affords means for adjusting the size of the air-inlet by means of the adjustable slide carried by the hood, and also the increase of the draft by the size and shape of the cutter carrying the blades which force the draft to prepare the fur or hair ahead of the moment of cutting by drawing it into the path of the blades, the location of the air-outlet aperture in the back of the hood also increasing the draft., because, as will be readily seen, it is below the axis of the rotary cutter and receives the air as the said cutter throws it back. The disposition of the swinging frame carrying the skin-holder and the pressure-bar materially adds to the convenience of the operator, for persons of different height may make use of the machine, the pressure-bar being so attached to ,the swinging frame as to permit of vertical adjustment; and furthermore the convenience of the adjustment of the skin-holder, and the controlling-guides by 'means of flexible or soft buffers, and by the swinging gage-plates, are of great advantage.

l. In a fur-trimming machine, the combination with a stand provided with a bedplate, a standard or standards, a rotary cutter journaled therein, means for actuating the cutter, and a hood, of a knife, a sliding frame for supporting said knife, means for causing said frame to slide and a skin-holder comprising-a swingingframe pivoted at or near its lower end and provided with guides, stop-collars, and one or more gage plates adapted to be swung into the path of the stopcollars, substantially as described.

2. In a fur-trimming machine, the combination with a stand provided with a bedplate, a rotary cutter mounted thereon, and a rigidly-secured hood, of an adjustable supporting-frame formed with an upwardly and a downwardly projecting front part adapted severally to carry a stationary knife and a screw-bolt, a stationary knife, a second screwbolt, and a skin-holder comprising a swinging frame pivoted at or near its lower end and having a guide rod or rods rigidly attached, stop-collars on said guide-rod, and a swinging gage plate or plates, substantially as described.

3. In a fur-trimming machine, the combi-` nation with a stand, and means for treating the fur, of a skin-holder, a swinging frame provided with means for adjusting its throw, and a pressure-bar provided with means for adjusting its height from the ground, substantially as described.

4:. In a fur-trimming machine, the combination with a stand, and meansfor treating the fur, of a skin-holder, a swinging frame provided with a guide or guides and collars on said guide, a gage-plate adapted to limit the throw of said frame, and a pressure-bar formed with a vertical slot, whereby the height of said bar may be adjusted, substantially as described.

5. Ina fur-trimming machine, the combination with a stand, means for treating the fur, and a skin-holder, of a gage-plate adapted to be rapidly operated and to limit the throw of said skin-holder, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRI CIIAPAL. ANTONIN CHAPAL.

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